Last Saturday, I went to Shanghai to celebrate my friend Jeannie’s birthday. About halfway through the evening, I found myself in a conversation with a German guy. Well, it wasn’t really much of a conversation. The music was really loud, so I couldn’t hear most of what he was shouting into my ear.

Plus, I kept on getting distracted by shiny stuff like the disco ball and the go-go dancers. Because, you know my friends and I like to frequent classy joints.

Keeping it classy, yo.

Right after he asked me the usual questions about why I was in China and how long I’d been in China and how long I planned to stay in China, he insisted on knowing how old I was.

Because, I guess in Germany they don’t have that rule about not asking a lady how old she is.

Either that or he didn’t think I was much of a lady.

I don’t know what would give him that idea.

Nothing says "lady" like pink pleather. Am I right or am I right?

When I informed him that I was thirty-six, he got a shocked look on his face. “Oh, you don’t look that old,” he said as he slowly started backing away from me. Possibly to avoid my biological clock exploding all over him.

Or, “Well, I’m technically thirty-six Earth years, but people from my planet don’t age as fast as humans.”

Or maybe, “I maintain my healthy glow by eating babies. Which reminds me, it’s snack time! Have any idea where I can get myself a baby?”

But, instead, I just went back to playing foosball with my friends. Because, as I said, my friends and I like to keep things real classy.

Practically chess, really.

The truth is I don’t feel like I’m thirty-six.

Not that I really know what thirty-six is supposed to feel like.

I mean, I still have no idea what I’m doing with my life.

I don’t own things that a thirty-six year old person should probably own – like a car or house or retirement plan or a hairbrush.

And, not to brag or anything, but I still wear the same size pants that I wore when I graduated from high school. Which, if you knew me in high school, you’d know this wasn’t bragging at all as somewhere in my junior year I decided I’d just start eating French fries and Little Debbie snack cakes for lunch everyday. Plus, it didn’t help that, unlike most people, I seem to have been born without any metabolism.

Ah, the good old days. At least, my eyebrows have gotten smaller.

But I have started to feel my age in little ways.

Like, I can’t drink as much as I used to.

Well, I can and I sometimes do, but I really, probably shouldn’t.

You see, back in my twenties, I was one of those annoying people who never got a hangover. While my roommate would be moaning and groaning the morning after a big night out, I’d be jumping out of bed at seven o’clock ready to start my day. After I cleaned the entire kitchen (making sure to bang all the kitchen cabinets along the way) while blaring Japanese dance music, I’d then start bragging about how I never got hangovers.

Now, I can see how this behavior might have been just the teensiest bit annoying.

It’s a good thing my roommate was usually too incapacitated to move as he probably would have strangled me.

In the past few years, things have changed, though.

Now when I have a big night out and have had a bit too much to drink, I am pretty much unable to function the next day.

And the day after that.

And the day after that.

And really who has that kind of time to waste?

Definitely, not me.

I mean, judging from the look on the German guy’s face, I’m about three steps away from death. So it’s really important I use my little time left on this earth for living… rather than, say, hiding in my dark apartment, groaning and hoping that someone will show up at my door bearing gifts of hash browns and strong coffee.

And a cookie. The strong coffee should really come with a strong cookie.

So, in an effort to limit the amount of time I spend groaning and generally being useless, I’ve decided I really need to limit the amount of alcohol I drink on big nights out.

Not that I have many big nights out.

In fact, I’d say I have very few big nights out because, you know, big nights out require my putting on pants and leaving the house. Neither of which I happen to be a big fan of.

I suspect the fact that I don’t go out that much is part of the problem. You see, when I do go out, I’m like, “Look! I left my house! And I’m wearing pants! Let’s celebrate!”

And, then before I know it, I’ve had more drinks than I can remember. And I wake up the next day feeling like death and vowing to never put on pants and leave my house again. (Of course, I could always vow to stop drinking alcohol, but that seems a bit drastic.)

So one of my many resolutions this year was to limit myself to only two drinks when I go out. This goal seemed both moderate and reasonable.

And even though I’ve never been much of a fan of moderation or reason, I’ve done a pretty good job of sticking to my resolution so far.

Oh yeah, and when I went to Hong Kong I found myself drinking wine coolers outside of a 7-11 at two o’clock in the morning, watching drunk people dance in the streets. I should probably mention here that most of those drunk people were my friends. I should probably also mention that it’s possible I was one of those drunk people.

Yes, that is a garbage heap behind us. We like to keep things real, yo.

But, I think we can all agree, that what happens in karaoke or Hong Kong doesn’t really count.

This past weekend in Shanghai, I knew it was going to be hard to stick to my two-drink maximum.

First of all, when your friend informs you that she’s planning a big birthday bash in Shanghai, you feel it’s kind of your duty to show up ready to party.

Especially when that friend is this girl right here:

She brings the party. Obviously.

Secondly, we were going to be in Shanghai, where they have fancy restaurants that serve fancy drinks. The establishments I frequent in Wuxi are not exactly known for being very fancy.

In fact, they’re not even known for having walls.

Some of my local fine dining establishments.

Or fancy stuff like napkins.

Only the best for me! (Notice that's a FRESH toilet paper roll on the table. Fahhncy.)

As to be expected, I can’t say I did a very good job of sticking to my resolution.

I’m blaming our friend, MaryAnne, who started things off by taking Jeannie and I to this super swish Mexican restaurant for dinner. Not only did the restaurant have real napkins made out of real napkin material (and, not say, toilet paper material), it also had a happy hour special of two-for-one drinks.

So I ended up having four margaritas. Because I figured I would only count the margaritas I was paying for. Plus, they were made out of tamarind and passion fruit and a bunch of other stuff I couldn’t pronounce so they were practically smoothies.

Like a health shake, really... but with a little salt... and tequila.

I’d like to say that I stopped drinking after that.

But, uh, does this look like the face of a girl who stopped drinking?

This is my "It's Possible I Just Had 3 Mojitos" Face.

Uh, yeah, I didn’t think so.

Miraculously, though, I managed to wake up the next morning without a hangover.

This was a good thing, because even in Shanghai, no one will show up at your door bearing gifts of hash browns and strong coffee.

You have to walk all the way to the restaurant to get it.

Hello, there, hash browns. How are you this morning?

Which means you have to put on some pants and leave the house.

And that’s no easy feat if you have a hangover… especially at my age.

What about you? Do you feel your age? Or do you feel like a twenty-year-old on spring break? (Of course, if you ARE a twenty-year-old on spring break then you have an excuse. I, on the other hand, should probably start locking myself in the house.)

Every time you share a blog post a unicorn gets its wings.

Those margaritas were smoothies! They were pretty much a bazillion percent fruit and only a few dozen percent booze. I swear. And that guacamole had antioxidents. And happy hour is a scientific term indicating that it is in fact essential to your well being that you consume twice as much as usual.

I mean, as a 37 year old (and thus your elder), it’s my responsibility to steer you out of harm’s way.

I know. I’m sure when I was younger I thought I’d be some high-powered… umm… something by the time I was thirty-six. Not doing pretty much the same thing I did when I was twenty-two — teaching English in a foreign country and drinking WAY too much. Maybe it’s a case of history repeating itself?

Of course you only count the drinks that you pay for! Any that are part of a promotion or that other people buy you are freebies, thus not counting – if it doesn’t drain your wallet, then it doesn’t drain your liver.

I still feel like I’m 18, but luckily 25 year old me has developed more sophisticated drinking tastes since then. Nine Cherry VKs, anyone?

And those margaritas totally count as smoothies. Even the lemon or lime that you suck after tequila shots counts as one of your five-a-day fruit and veg.Waegook Tom recently posted..Samgyeopsal

I had FOUR drinks on St. Patrick’s day over 5 hours and I was done. My burrito the next day didn’t even seem to help as much as usual. But I agree, now that I’m in my 30s, it’s much harder (and longer) to recover. Ugh.Carmel recently posted..Ganache-Filled Cupcakes

Hangovers suck. I never had any for years and then two years ago they suddenly kick in and knock me for seven! How very annoying although I’ve found a good way around it…strangely enough the hard stuff brings on less of a hangover than say a couple of beer or something like that. I may be an alien of sorts, I haven’t quite figured that out. The limiting works for me as long as I don’t go out, I’m really perfect at it then but as soon as I’m out, doesn’t work. Strange! Like when I say I’ll have no drinks I usually have two and when I say only one it goes up to four or something strange like that. I definitely suck at maths, althoughs have. Oh and as for that German guy – so rude!!! No manners those Germans!!!

Ha ha. I have the same problem. If I tell myself, “I’m not going to drink much,” that’s like a surefire recipe for disaster (hence the reason why I probably overdid it in Shanghai). But if I’m all like, “Okay, I’m going to part-ay,” I usually end up in bed by 11 totally sober.

definately not handling the hangovers as well as i used to… i’ve noticed recently that i start drinking soda water towards the end of the night – yay – however it’s usually waaaaay too late by that point.
also, our local irish bar here in ningbo serves particularly potent drinks so it’s not even my fault, really.Mira @ NingboNights recently posted..I Heart the Internet.

Ha ha. Totally not your fault. I actually found the drinks in Shanghai to be pretty weak. Delicious and fancy, but not very strong at all. After my first 4 margaritas, I didn’t feel a thing. Even after the 3 mojitos I was still in pretty decent shape. So really if the drinks had been stronger I probably wouldn’t have drank nearly as much!

I had a half hangover after having a grand total of three glasses of wine the other night 🙂 Is that because I’m 31? I used to be able to down a lot lot more than that in Long Island Ice Teas without feeling anything the next morning, that’s for sure.

As for the German guy… I don’t think asking for anybody’s age is a problem (maybe that’s because I’m also German ;)), but I think saying “Oh, you don’t look that old” should be punishable by something. Was he only 18? Or just an idiot?Sabrina recently posted..My Seven Super Shots

I, honestly, don’t mind when people ask me my age. And I also really don’t mind when they say stuff like, “Oh, I thought you were younger!” (I mean, who minds THAT?) What I couldn’t believe was his reaction. He actually started stepping away from me… it was so weird.

Totally LOL’d! Really not kind of you to be posting photos of fahncy frozen drinks…given my current location which is severely lacking in fahncy frozed drinks…don’t even have a blender to make a smoothy.

I always want to drink like a responsible adult but once I have two and my judgement starts to wane, all my preconceived adult-ness disappears! I find myself thinking, “fuck it. whatevs.” as I order another drink, with a coy smile on my face. “I’m such a rebel.” hahaha

I keep telling myself it’s okay since I’m only 25. I figure I need to live it up now in case I ever decide to have kids or do something responsible with my life.

Not that I go out drinking much…I’m more of a couch-sitting, pajama-wearing girl most weekends, too.Maggie recently posted..Full of COLOR #FriFotos

haha, I’m German, and we really don’t have that rule about not asking a lady about her age. I’ll be 25 next month, it’s a bit of an un-age – not feeling young or old or anything, really… never been big on drinking, so I can’t really judge if that’s changed with age.Stephanie recently posted..Cusco – More than stones scattered by people who ate children

Mwahaha. I’m totally going to threaten the next people who make rude comments about my age with the Norse witch of death. That’ll teach’em! (Just checked out your blog, by the way. LOVE it. Now I want to go make Hunger Games crescent rolls… if only I had an oven.)

I took years off from drinking, then moved to a college town and all the people I worked with were college kids, and I hung out with them and basically felt their age. There were times I realized how old I was (like when I said I saw Star Wars in the theater, and they thought I meant the new ones… I went out drinking with them, held my own, but always paid a much higher price the next day than they did. To be fair, it has always been that way.

Now I have a responsible job, I reserve my big nights for the weekend, and I have very few of those ‘blackout nights’, which I guess is some step forward…

Wow…I really missed a good night out with you guys by being in Australia – where I suddenly remembered that if I drink, I can’t drive, and that I can’t afford the taxis either. So I just had the most sober trip home in living memory, but my liver is thanking me for it.Fiona at Life on Nanchang Lu recently posted..3 of 3 Quirky Cafes: Willow & Spoon

I hear you! The difference is that I already started feeling “my age” when I turned 23 (I believe this is when twelnty-somethings go on Spring Break, right?). At that time, I had a record of 6-7 years of heavy duty drinking behind me, because you know, spaniards are not known for moderation either…
I could almost say 23 was my peak year. From then, everything just started to go down… my hangovers went from non-existent to a 2-day-time of not moving (which is also why I’ve chosen to have fridays as a big night out instead of saturdays – I really appreciate to have 2 days to recover!).
I should probably follow your steps and moderate myself… only after next thursday, though 🙂Katherina recently posted..Am I a Cat or a Dog? (Or Why It Might Be Time to Reset My Priorities)

Ha ha… I know I’m actually going to Qingdao this week (home of Chinese beer!) so I’m going to have to go back on my moderation plan AFTER I get back, myself. Along with a diet… as I hear Qingdao has some pretty tasty dumplings, too.

Still hungover from Friday night, when I went out with friends to celebrate finishing my book manuscript. I was going to go classy and order a bottle or three of champagne, but turns out my favorite bar doesn’t carry champagne, or it’s Spanish cousin cava. So we ordered beer and wine, and then more beer and wine…something with raw salmon in it…more beer and wine…something with avocado in it…more beer and wine…and after that, things got a little fuzzy…

I had an incident one time when my friends and I bought some cognac on the black market in Russia (this was about 20 years ago). It’s not as bad as it sounds the black market was pretty much made up of old grandmothers selling whatever they could find on the streets. Anyway, the cognac ended up being half jet fuel and we all got really sick. But my friends were all Russian (that means they can drink a whole bottle of vodka and you would never know the difference) and I was …. not. I almost died. Seriously I lost a whole day where I have no idea what happened. Ever since then I cannot get drunk if I tried. I would feel sick before I ever got drunk. I guess that’s the silver lining – no more hangovers!Anne McKinnell recently posted..Before The Shutter: Free eBook Launched Today

Reading this post and all the comments makes me feel old. Well, it makes me realize I am older than I feel. I hate it when people ask me how old I am. Even if they tell my I don’t look that old, I still don’t like saying it out loud or even thinking it.Ross recently posted..Sound of Silence

“In fact, I’d say I have very few big nights out because, you know, big nights out require my putting on pants and leaving the house. Neither of which I happen to be a big fan of.”

I had to read this out loud to my husband, because it sounds so much like something I would say! We had a good laugh over that. I hear ya on slowing down on the drinking though…we are both in our late twenties, but suddenly three drinks make me a worthless person the next day, and four will have me sick as a dog. It’s unfortunate that in Korea (where we live), drinking is practically the national pastime!

I know what you mean – I hit 30 and suddenly I couldn’t drink more than 2 drinks without a week-long hangover (and no night out is that good). I’m going to be 40 this year (no, really?! I can barely believe it myself) – I don’t feel any older than 23 and most people are shocked at how ‘old’ I am. pfff. When will they realise age is just a number and what really matters is how much you enjoy life?! xDonna recently posted..Striving For Perfection

I’ll be 32 this year, and I still feel like a kid most of the time. I definitely can’t drink like I used to, though I still try sometimes. I think a 2 drink limit is drastic. Maybe 4 is better? I also used to have a strict pre and post drinking routine of drinking lots of water and eating, and usually taking Advil or Tylenol before going to bed, all to keep away the hangover. Usually worked pretty well. Now I still try to do some of that, but it doesn’t always happen. I’m also not at a bar for 6 hours every weekend either, I’m on my couch with my husband and a bowl of popcorn. Hmm…maybe I am getting older….Ali recently posted..Melbourne in 10 Days – How Much I Spent

Depends on the day…some days I feel much younger while others feel older. When I lived in China, I felt much younger. Especially during my first year when I went out with the other foreign teachers and drank Tsingtao until 2am and stumbled into work at 8:30.ChinaMatt recently posted..Environmental Spirituality

I felt healthier in China too! It was like all the pollution, overly pesticided food and irradiated milk agreed with me. I decided all the beer and wine antioxidants must have had something to do with it. 🙂Myra recently posted..Qingming Jie or Tomb Sweeping Day in China

Well, I wouldn’t exactly say I feel healthier. In fact, I’ve developed a smoker’s cough since moving here… despite the fact that I don’t smoke. But this is the first semester I haven’t gotten deathly ill (YET! Knock on wood!) so maybe my system is finally toughening up?

I don’t feel my age either. People often tell me that I look a lot younger than I am ( which I GUESS is a good thing.. I guess). and I can often act like a 3-year-old. I still have no idea what I’m doing with MY life, and it’s quite possible that I won’t figure it out until I’M 36-ish ( more ish than the 36). I don’t act like my age, either. I don’t drink as much as I should. Really, I’m wasting my 20s here. ohh and now I really want hash browns and coffee and maybe a cookie. And I really want Mexican food and margaritas.. perhaps all in one sitting.Priya recently posted..How I Accidentally Went On A Date

Umm, so just to let you know, my mom and dad and ninety-year old grandma read this blog… so, uh, I try not to mention any cleavage on here. As far as they are concerned, I wear a turtleneck every day of my life. 🙂

Wonder what’ll happen when we eventually meet up in Shanghai (or Wuxi, I’m there every couple years) haha, because I’m 22 but feel like I’m 35. I feel like Murtagh every time I go out in Paris, esp with all these study abroad kids everywhere…”I’m too old for this…!”Edna recently posted..Number 31: The Coziest B&B in Dublin

You’re only 22? Why did I think you were much older than that? Not in a bad way… but in a “you’re way too put together to be 22 way.” It’s possible we’re in some Freaky Friday situation where you’re me and I’m you and if we ever met up we’d switch back to being the age we’re supposed to be… or not. 🙂
P.S. I think I’d much rather meet you in Paris, than in Wuxi!

Aw, thanks Sally. You know, you may be onto something – I do often feel like Jamie Lee Curtis trapped in Lindsay Lohan’s body.
P.S. I would love that! (though I do miss Wuxi…sure I’ve got baguettes, but you’ve got CHEAP DUMPLINGS.)Edna recently posted..Number 31: The Coziest B&B in Dublin

I don’t think I’ll ever feel my age — well, maybe in a few decades. I just turned 32 and feel like it’s my mid-20s at most. I’ll probably be stuck at the mid-20s for years to come.

However, I’m ENJOYING the 30s much more than I did the 20s. More confident and taking charge a bit more (though I’m still currently clueless about the future work wise!).Heather recently posted..Ordering a special meal on a flight

I think I am the eldest among the commentators or supporters of your blog Now I am sixty one year old. apparently,I have been looked elder than my real age.Miss Sally! Why worry? Enjoy your life! Do as you think is right, don’t care other people think or talk of you! Of course, You must look after a bit of your health, because health is wealth! Limited drink is necessary. Don’t be obese, as my former teacher master said. I was a great drinker.Now I try to avoid or drink lesser after I had a serious duodenal ulcer at age of 36. Miss Sally, “Youth is Capital”! You are still young! A lot of Things to be done in future! Good luck!!

I’m 25 and afraid to say that I’m the person who brags about getting absolutely sloshed when she goes out but has never ever ever had a hangover in her life. Er? Guess this means I’ve got an exciting future ahead of me.Ceri recently posted..Love Letter to California

I’m like you. I used to be able to drink ungodly amounts of Gran Marnier, but then, I turned 29, and then 30, and then 31, and then 32. And, those hangovers got worse and worse and longer and longer. I used to joke that I need to only look at a drink and I would feel like crap in the morning. But, there are some of those nights, like the one you had with Jeannie, where the drinks keep coming. And, the next morning you feel like you’re back to your 21-year-old-self. Or, at least back at 28.dtravelsround recently posted..Escape of the Week: Pioneertown, California

This seems to be a common phenomena — a lot of my friends say the same thing. So why did no one tell me this when I was in my 20s? Or were they just too busy laughing and thinking, “Just you wait and see, sucker!”?

Wow, this is written just like it was typed from my own fingers. I’m also 36, but still feel late 20’s, except when the hangovers starting to creep in, which have been getting more debilitating as the years move on. I’ve been weighing the pro’s and con’s of not drinking, or trying to drink in moderation (a strategy which has NEVER worked for me), or just continue on as usual. So basically, it’s a stop drinking vs. keep drinking choice, as the moderate drinking option just isn’t reality for me (I’ve 23 yrs. of experience behind me)

I was hoping to walk away from this article with a clearer sense of what to do w/ myself, and I think I have: keep drinking!

Shoot, I don’t know. I guess, at the high side, I was hoping I’d be in a more established, responsible place in life by now, and seeing your stories, and comparing my own, I feel like I really don’t need to be nor particularly want to be spending the rest of my life like this. At the same time, it feels as if I’d be losing some very fun and enjoyable free-spirit that has so far dominated my existence. And I’ve little to complain about it except for the lack of wealth, happy sustained non-drinking relationships, and, well that’s about it.